Almost half of children aged between eight and 17 ‘have been scammed online’

Almost half of children aged between eight and 17 have been scammed online – with a quarter blaming themselves, according to a report.

Exposure to scams is a regular part of life online for young people, with 79% coming across them at least once a month, almost half (45%) at least once a week, and 20% seeing scams online every day, according to research released by the UK Safer Internet Centre (UKSIC) to mark Safer Internet Day.

A survey found 46% of young people have been scammed online and 9% – including eight-year-olds – have lost money in the process.

Some 81% of parents and carers and 43% of teenagers believe that online scams are getting more convincing, and around a third of young people (32%) worry that the use of new technology, such as generative artificial intelligence, will make scams harder to identify.

The most common scams experienced by young people are fake giveaways, phishing and fake websites, followed by online shopping scams, including fake ticket sales, and so-called “trust trades” in gaming.

Almost a fifth of young people (18%) know someone their age who has lost money to an online scam, the poll found.

A quarter of those who have fallen victim (26%) say they blamed themselves, increasing to 37% of 17-year-olds.

Almost half of young people (47%) said they believed that embarrassment was the main barrier to seeking help if they were scammed online.

UKSIC director Will Gardner, said: “This Safer Internet Day, we want to put the importance of protecting children from online scams on the agenda.

“For too long, young people have been overlooked, yet our research clearly demonstrates how much of an impact online scams can have on them.”

A separate study from Vodafone, also released for Safer Internet Day, suggests that approaching one million British children aged 11 to 16 have been scammed online in the last 12 months, with those aged 13 most likely to be affected.

One fifth of these scams (22%) are occurring on gaming platforms, while 78% take place on social media platforms.

Focus groups revealed that fraudsters were taking advantage of trusted platforms and the way they were designed to target young people, capitalising on their vulnerabilities, including financial insecurity, reliance on technology and and social pressure.

Young people said the most common scams were ads or quizzes which appeared to be from well-known brands but were in fact luring them into parting with personal information or buying fake products.

The study, which analysed the experiences of 2,000 parents and children, as well as more than 4,800 teachers, suggests that over 3,000 attempts are made to scam young people online every day.

Helen Westerman, campaigns manager at the NSPCC, said: “These findings paint a deeply concerning picture of how online scams are affecting young people’s wellbeing, with nearly a million children targeted in the past year alone.

“What’s particularly worrying is that 60% of young people don’t know where to turn for help, often leaving them to deal with both financial losses and emotional trauma in silence.

“The impact of these scams goes far beyond the immediate financial loss. We’re seeing children experience anxiety, depression, and withdrawal from activities they once enjoyed.

“This is why it’s crucial that parents and carers create an open dialogue about online safety with their children, ensuring young people feel they can come forward without fear of judgment if they’ve been targeted by scammers.”

Nicki Lyons, chief corporate affairs and sustainability officer at Vodafone UK, said: “The online world is part of everyday life, but young people can only make the most of this if they feel safe to do so.

“As our latest study shows, scams targeting young people on the platforms they use regularly are on the rise and becoming ever-more sophisticated, so it’s important that calls to make the internet safer are heard.”

Vodafone said it was currently blocking 1.7 million calls a day from known scammers.

It is opening a “Phish ’N’ Tips” shop in central London on February 20 to offer families free, expert advice to help spot online scams and deal with them.

Anyone who has been scammed online should report it to Action Fraud or call 0300 123 2040 (in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) or report it to Police Scotland by calling 101 (in Scotland).